The Broken Prodigy
by The Endless Doodle
Summary: Sometimes children are born with a great gift. The gift of magic. Sadly this world looks upon this power with scorn and fear while those who bear it must battle almost constantly with demons who lust after their minds. This is the story of one such and child whose outlook on magic wishes for a grand change.


**This is my very first fanfic so I hope that you will not only enjoy but also review what I have written. I would very much appreciate any criticism that highlights any mistakes or anything else really.**

**I hope you enjoy**

Chapter 1: How Quick Things Change

He was a blessing to our family. My son, Atriel Vanha, was born on the 7th of Umbralis at 9:17 Dragon. For us in the Alienage we take whatever happiness we can find and the birth of your own flesh and blood child is definitely a cause for celebration. We elves are a very tight-knit society within in these slums the shems forced us into and therefore half the Alienage came to celebrate another member to the family.

The revelry lasted well through the night and for time in far too long while my wife smiled. It seemed as if the child just made our relationship change and we were a happy family. She praised her shemlen maker as I tried to recall the Creators of my people who I believed in again as I was too joyous not too. Not only our lives but that of the entire Alienage, he was the talk of the town as he appeared to swallow knowledge with ease not known to an infant.

He quickly learnt how to walk and talk and with the little me and my wife could provide him he learnt how to read. The knowledge we could get was a group effort and he appreciated it and helped others. People praised him as the next Hahren and he gave back that love in our Hahren said the child was blessed and gifted for he has never seen a child of such capabilities. My life became better and my love with my wife grew once more. Life was grand...but it did not mean life didn't have its share of problems.

Besides the day-to-day problems of life like the situation with my flailing merchant business, there was the problem of Atriel's interactions with other children and his sleep. The boy seems to have a fragile ego and does not take kindly to being rejected or insulted and thus it was difficult for him to keep the friends his intelligence gave him. Worse still was the discomfort in his sleep, from 2 years of age to boy began to dream of creatures speaking to him in places devoid of reason and where natural laws are lies.

When I go to comfort the boy after he's bouts of wailing and crying i find his room to have sputters of fire, the earth shifted or the room be unnaturally cold. I knew weeks before my wife ever found out for i knew what she and her damned Chantry believed about my son.

"Mage" She said in the same vein as someone would say darkspawn, Blight or any horrid thing one could think of.

We argued and I pleaded that we shouldn't call the Templars.

"Please give my troubled son at least till his fourth name-day." I could see she was surprised that i called him my and not ours. Why should I? She wants to call her Chantry so cares not for the boy.

Either way it all came to head on the quiet name day of my blessed and "cursed" child. People must have either heard our arguments or our sons cries, as very few came, what I hoped to be his closest friends, all older than him of course. Atriel was more troubled and agitated then which was only worsened by one of his friends challenged his knowledge on the world.

For all the knowledge he wields it helps little in his social interactions with others. The fight escalated and as the two children grappled my son seemed to spontaneously burst into flames and these flames seemed to jump towards the other boy. Adults rushed to get water while my sun ran away in fear, the flames starting to sputter out.

I ran towards him but noticed in the corner of my eye my wife running in the direction of the Alienage gates. Most likely to get the Templars. I turned and saw Atriel crying .I have to explain to him. Make him understand. Not knowing always seems to be his greatest fear.

"Father why? Why does this happen to me? I don't understand it."He cried with sadness morphing his voice.

"Listen son I know this will be a lot to take in but you are blessed with a gift that many don't understand and hide this lack of knowledge with fear. Templars will take you a place where people with your gift gather."

"But this is where I want to be at a place I understand and where I'm loved. You love me don't you father."I immediately drew him into a hug and started crying myself.

"Atriel I love you more than anything but the people won't accept you anymore, I want you to have a better life and so you must go with the Templars. It is there where you will gain a level of understanding that you will never have here."

"I wish only the best for you so don't look on this gift that takes you away with the same scorn these people would treat you."

Atriel tears were still flowing and bared some marks from the flames while shivering as well. I took from my pockets a statuette that I had carved from what I knew of my gods that bore the resemblance of the elven god Dirthamen.

"Bear this always as a way of remembering me and what the Alienage meant to you before this."

I hoped that these will stay with you Atriel and that this new world I'm throwing you into will hurt you.

_To Be Continued..._


End file.
